


Dream About You

by secondalto



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 06:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3198704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondalto/pseuds/secondalto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve helps Bucky with his nightmares, but who's gonna help Steve with his?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dream About You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rainne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainne/gifts).



> For my darling Rainne on the occasion of her birthday. May we never grow out of loving these two idiot boys.
> 
> Based on [this](http://secondalto.tumblr.com/post/105647958523/randomisjen-i-never-gave-any-fucks-dont) tumblr post.
> 
> Unbetaed, all mistakes my own.

When Bucky first creeps into Steve’s room, standing at the end of his bed silently asking; Steve says yes. Bucky crawls in next to him and curls into a ball. Steve lies there, watching and waiting as Bucky relaxes into sleep. He gently maneuvers behind Bucky and his best friend accepts the contact. There are no nightmares that night.

It continues, some nights without the dreams that plague Bucky’s sleep. When they do come, Steve is there to comfort them away. He never thinks about his own somewhat troubled sleep. Steve went from ice to battle in a little over two weeks. He had pushed himself physically and mentally. His new body didn’t need much, he always managed to sneak in catnaps, dozing for fifteen minutes at a time like he used to do in the war. He pushed and pushed until his body was exhausted and he’d sleep for twelve hours or more without dreams.

Helping Bucky is an exhaustion of a different sort and Steve finds himself falling into sleep more easily. At first the dreams are formless and Bucky always seems to press in closer before they get too bad. Then Bucky goes away on a short mission overnight. Steve dreams. He sees Bucky’s face, his own hand reaching out for Bucky’s. Their fingers grasping, reaching, almost touching before the sickening crack of metal pulls Steve up and out of the dream. He sits up, gasping for breath, sweat clinging to his body as his heart pounds.

He tries to tell himself it’s just a dream. He gets out of bed on shaky legs and heads for the shower. Stripping off boxers and stepping into the shower, he tries to wash away the images. It works for a while, but when he steps out to dry himself, he knows he won’t be able to sleep again. He heads down to the gym. There’s a punching bag with his name on it.

Buck is back in the afternoon and that night Steve sleeps almost normally. Steve dismisses the nightmare as a fluke occurrence. He concentrates on Bucky. On their re-emerging relationship. On anything other than himself. It works. For a while. Then Bucky is called out again three months later. This time it’s Bucky’s screams as he falls that pull Steve awake. He never tells anyone.

Six months after that and Bucky has started going out on missions more, some with Steve, some without. Steve has started making sure he’s busy himself, tiring his body out during the day so he can stave off the dreams at night. Bucky is sent somewhere, Steve thinks it used to be Yugoslavia. He still hasn’t gotten all the new country names down yet. He tries to keep busy, but the days turn into a week and he’s running out of things that will exhaust him. He suggests sparring to Natasha. She says yes.

She ends up wrapping herself around his midsection, twisting and he hears the tear. Something in his back. She immediately releases him and he falls to the mat.

“Rogers,” she says. “Steve? Are you okay?”

He winces. “I will be. Just need to get up to my room. Lie flat. Body will heal.”

She rakes her gaze over him for a moment, then nods. She helps him to the elevator and he thanks her. When he gets to his floor, he shuffles to his room and then to the bed as fast as he can. He collapses onto it, biting back a moan as he feels the tissue and tendons reattaching. He maneuvers onto the bed, but trying to reach for the pillow is too much and he passes out.

The dream comes.

This time Steve is three-quarters of the way out of the train car, barely hanging on himself as he reaches for Bucky. Bucky is straining, muscles tense as he tries to get to Steve’s hand. Deep in his subconscious he knows what’s going to happen. He knows this won’t end well. He calls to dream Bucky. His body tenses, ready to wake him up.

“Shhh, Stevie. I got you, I’m here.”

There is a warm hand in his. The scent of leather and metal and home. Steve curls towards the warmth and the train fades. The voice murmurs low and soft and Steve’s body relaxes. He’s pulled deeper into sleep and he sighs.

Bucky is there when he wakes up. They are holding hands, Steve flat on his back with Bucky curled around him. Their hands are resting on Steve’s chest. Steve remembers the dream and how it faded.

“Want to talk about it?” Bucky asks.

“Couldn’t reach you. Can never reach you,” he replies, looking at Bucky.

“Probably for the best,” Bucky says.

Steve glares at him. “How can you say that, Buck? After everything…”

He’s silenced by a soft kiss, Bucky shifting forward to press his lips to Steve’s. “Cause I was a stubborn ass who was too afraid to tell you how I felt then. Not so much now.”

“Oh. Me too, Buck.”

“I know, Stevie,” he replies, kissing Steve’s cheek. “You should talk to someone. You been too busy looking out for me, you never stopped to look out for you.”

“I guess not.” Steve tries not to look at Bucky, but it’s hard when he’s staring right at Steve.

“If Fury asks me to go out again, without you, I’m tellin him no.”

Steve sighs, turning his head. “Buck, I can’t ask you to do that.”

“It’s what I want to do, Steve. I can be here to hold your hand when the nightmares come.” He lifts their still joined hands and kisses the back of Steve’s.

“Sap,” Steve chuffs. “Thank you, though.”

“Course, anything for you, Steve.”

Steve pulls their hands closer to his chest. “You mean that, Bucky?”

Bucky nods. Steve just grins and rolls over, pinning Bucky beneath him. “Then let me welcome you home, soldier.”

Bucky laughs under his kiss and Steve knows they’ll be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Come wallow in the Stucky or anything Marvel at [my tumblr](http://secondalto.tumblr.com)


End file.
